CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Fort Mill woman is seeking solutions to the challenges that make it difficult for women to succeed in business.
Dawn Nicole McIlwain launched Queen City Women in Business last year after experiencing her own setbacks as an entrepreneur.
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McIlwain and her husband Damario entered the field of artificial intelligence and founded Skilldora, a company that offers online courses taught by digital humans.
McIlwain said that despite having an AI figure made in his image, it would be difficult to replicate his success.
“We made global history by being the first black couple to actually certify AI Avatar Instructors for Adult Learning. Once you're certified, you're ready to work in the corporate field.” she said. I started asking, “If I can't get in the door and we made history, who else is trying to get inside and can't get in?”
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According to an analysis by LendingTree, approximately 1 in 5 U.S. businesses will fail within a year. McIlwain has launched a new business, Queen City Women in Business, hoping to remove barriers and ease the path to success for women.
“I said to my husband, 'Please keep doing Skildora,'” she said. “I'm preparing for this to be my purpose. I'm going to fight for all women.”
She said the membership-based company provides a community of female entrepreneurs with a path to certification and access to companies looking for talent. Her girlfriend Brooke Elliott of BE Complete Coaching & Consulting says this has made a difference.
“This not only provides a community of highly motivated women, but also a community of education for all of us to learn together,” Elliott said.
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On Monday, Jan. 29, McIlwain will bring her passion to Hyatt Centric South Park for this year's Queen City Women in Business Breakfast Conference to show female entrepreneurs that anything is possible.
“We already have a lot of women certified in Charlotte, and we're just getting started,” McIlwain said.
Conference details and ticket information can be found on Eventbrite.
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